Design Observer adds its take on life in synthetic worlds, pointing out that from a design point of view, the success to online multi-player games doesn't have as much to do with the atmospherics as it does with the experience.

Game designers have identified the primary motivations for MMORPG users: exploring: seeing what is there and mapping it for others; socializing: forming groups and having shared experiences; achieving: building things and accumulating social respect; and controlling:
directing and dominating others. Notice that neither 'marvelling at the
scenery' nor 'enjoying aesthetic refinement' make this list. It is
experiential qualities that make synthetic worlds truly immersive and
which pose the greatest design challenge.